Air intercepting valve means for cotton gins



Mamh 1%, WM T. a. GHKMIES AIR INTERCEPTING VALVE MEANS FOR COTTON GINS Filed 00 1:. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZNVEIVTOR THHDDEUS 3. @W/WIES Y E W? WWW M A TTOR AIR INTERCEPTING VALVE MEANS FOR COTTON GINS Filed 001:. l, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a BY J l M WW0 A TTORZVEYj 11v VEZVTOR I Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES AIR INTERCEPTING VALVE MEANS FOR COTTON GINS Thaddeus S. Grimes, Columbus, Ga., assignor to Lummus Cotton Gin Company, a corporation of Georgia Application October 1, 1940, Serial No. 359,188

6 Claims.

This invention relates to cotton gins, and more particularly to the type of gin described and claimed in my prior Patent No. 2,053,190, dated September 1, 1936, in which there is shown and claimed a gin embodying a belt conveyor at the back thereof for carrying away motes thrown off from the saw cylinder by centrifugal force in the operation of the gin.

It is well known in the operation of cotton gins that the dotting operation induces a flow of air into the gin, and I have found that if this inflow is not intercepted and controlled it interferes with the proper separation of the motes in the cotton stream. In my prior patent aforesaid, this is taken care of by providing a dead air chamber at the back of the gin, in which the conveyor belt operates. With a battery of gins in operation, a single conveyor belt extends along all of the gins and a covered trough or housing is provided around the belt between adjacent gins to prevent the inflow of air, It often becomes necessary in such an installation to open the breast of one or more gins and stop the operation thereof while others of the battery are still operating. In such event, it is necessary to intercept the flow of air from the open breast of the gin which is not operating through the conveyor housing into the operating gins, or else the induced current of air will cause the motes to be diverted into the lint flue.

It is accordingly one of the principal objects of my invention to provide a simple effective valve means to intercept an induced current of air from the mote conveyor trough into an adjacent operating gin, and which shall be adapted to permit the free passage of motes and trash on the conveyor belt.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide an air intercepting valve means which shall be adapted to rest freely on a moving mote conveyor belt, in the housing thereof, and permit the passage of motes and trash on the belt beneath the valve means, and which shall be effective to intercept the flow of air from one gin stand to another.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which Fig, i is a sectional elevation of a cotton gin having a mote conveyor, with my improved air intercepting valve applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken along the line 'I-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified form of my invention; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings for a better understanding of my invention, I show a cotton gin embodying an inner breast II], a saw cylinder H, gin ribs l2, and huller ribs 13. The outer or huller breast is shown at M, At the back of the gin is a chamber defined by a back Wall l6, top ll, and at the bottom a trough with a side is joining the back wall l6, and a mote conveyor belt iii in the bottom thereof. Motes are thrown off by the saw cylinder II, as shown by the arrows, onto the belt conveyor I9. In Fig. 3 are shown the upper portions of two gin stands 2| and 22, with a belt l9 running along at the backs of both gin stands. The ends of the gin stands are closed by plates 23, which join at the bottom to the top 24 of a conveyor housing 26 connecting the two gin stands.

It often occurs in the operation of gins of this kind that the breast of one gin will become choked and will have to be cleaned out without interfering with the operation of the other gins. For this purpose, the gin breasts are pivotally supported at 2'! at the lower edge of the breasts, and are moved outwardly by a toggle joint 28 and lever means (not shown), as described in my prior Patent No. 1,244,196, dated October 23,

1917. Such means being well known in the art, a detail description thereof is not necessary.

At 29 is shown an air box, to which is connected an air duct 3| terminating in a cloning nozzle 32, which is directed downwardly to blow the lint off the saw cylinder H into a lint flue 33. This dofiing action, as is well understood, induces a flow of air into the gin from the 0utside, which is intercepted by the walls It, I! and [8, of the dead air chamber at the back of the gin and the walls of the mote conveyor housing or trough 26, It will be seen that if the breast is opened, as previously described, air from the outside could enter the opening formed by moving the breasts outwardly from the saw cylinder, and pass through the mote conveyor housing into adjacent gin stands.

In order to prevent the action just described, I provide my improved air interceptor valve which, in its preferred form is shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, and comprises an open cylinder 34 extending across and into the conveyor housing 26, and supported on the conveyor belt It]. An opening 36 is provided in the top of the conveyor trough 26, in which the cylinder 34 fits. Inasmuch as the belt I9 is moving when the gin is in operation, the cylinder 34 rolls on the belt, thus permitting the free passage of motes and trash on the belt beneath the cylinder, but effectively intercepting the flow of air from one gin stand to another.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, I show a modified form of my invention. In accordanc with this modification, I provide a plurality of individual valve members 31, each of which is in the form of a channel with vertical sides 38 abutting, as shown in Fig. 5. The lower end of the channels 31 is bent upwards slightly at 39 to form a curved surface resting on the belt l9, and to permit the motes to pass beneath without accumulating. The upper end of each of the membars 31 is bent to form a U-shaped hook M, which interlocks with a similarly shaped hook 42 formed on a plate 43 which is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the top 24 of the belt conveyor housing 26.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my invention will be clearly understood. Assuming that the conveyor belt I9 is moving in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 4, and all the gins of the battery are in operation, there is no tendency for the air to flow from one gin stand to another. The intercepting cylinder 34! roll on the belt IS in the openings 36 over the motes and trash on the belt. If the breast of any one of the gins of a battery is opened, the induced current of air through the open breast is prevented from passing to the adjacent gins by the cylinders 34 which thus act as intercepting valves.

With the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the separate valve members 31 are made of very light material so that the belt IS, in moving under them and conveying the motes, raises each individual valve member to accommodate the motes beneath it. The vertical sides 38 of the channels prevent the admission of air around the sides of the valve members into the adjacent gin stand. In event it becomes necessary, any one of the valve members 31 may be detached and removed by simpl unhooking it from its pivotal mounting.

With either of the modifications herein described, it will be seen that I have provided intercepting valve means, the individual members of which are readily detachable and removable, giving access to the mote conveyor trough. It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple effective means for intercepting the flow of air into a gin of a battery of gins through the mote conveyor trough.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a plurality of gins, a mote conveyor extending along and through the gins, a housing for the conveyor between adjacent gins, and air intercepting valve means in the housing.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a plurality of gins, a mote conveyor belt extending along the plurality of gins, housings for the conveyor belt between adjacent gins and adapted normally to seal the gins against the ingress of air around the conveyor when in operation, and air intercepting valve means in each housing adapted to permit the passage of motes and to intercept the passage of air from one gin to another.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, in which the conveyor housing is provided with an opening in the top thereof and the air intercepting valve means comprising a cylinder disposed in the opening and resting on the conveyor belt.

4:. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, in which the air intercepting valve means comprises a plurality of channel shaped valve members with abutting sides pivotally mounted in the top of the conveyor housing and having their lower ends resting on the mote conveyor belt, and upwardly curved ends on the valve members to permit the motes to pass freely thereunder.

5. In apparatus of the character described, a battery of gins, a common mote conveyor belt extending along the back of the gins, a housing surrounding the conveyor belt between adjacent gins, there being an opening in the top of the housing between the adjacent gins, and a cylinder riding on the conveyor belt and extending across each of the openings.

6. In apparatus of the character described, a battery of gins, a common mote conveyor belt extending along the back of the gins, a housing surrounding the conveyor belt between adjacent gins, there being an opening in the top of the housing between the adjacent gins, and an open ended cylinder riding on the conveyor belt and extending across each of the openings.

TI-IADDEUS S. GRIMES. 

